While Sean McDermott certainly had his weaknesses as a head coach and playcaller, one thing that Bills fans could never criticize him for was the production he got out of his safeties on the backend of the defense. When McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017, the Bills managed to sign both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, and that duo eventually became the best safety pairing in the league at one time.
Eventually, that duo had to come to an end and now the Bills are hoping that Cole Bishop will be able to take another step forward like he did last year. After Taylor Rapp went down with a season-ending knee injury, Jordan Poyer stepped in as that veteran presence where he not only kept the secondary together but he also greatly helped Bishop in his game.
Now that Bishop looks to be an emerging star, the Bills should be looking for a pairing that Bishop can keep growing with for the foreseeable future. Brandon Beane went out and signed guys C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone to one-year deals, and Damar Hamlin was brought back again on another one-year deal.
Buffalo has stability at safety for now and safety is no longer a need. However, there is a prospect from this draft class that the Bills could have the opportunity to draft if he falls to them. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was listed as a best fit for the Bills going into the 2026 NFL Draft per Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated.
At the same time, would the Bills be willing to draft a safety considering their free agency moves that they have already made?
Bills may have lost opportunity to truly consider drafting Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
"The Buffalo Bills have been trying to permanently replace former fixtures at safety like Jordan Poyer and Micah Hade for a few offseasons now. It was nice to see 2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop take such a sizable step forward as a sophomore. Geno Stone was signed in free agency, but adding a long-term running mate for Bishop could be a priority for general manager Brandon Beane during the NFL Draft. McNeil-Warren could be the type of enforcer new defensive coordinator Jim Leonard, a former NFL safety himself, craves." said Melo.
The long-term effect is real because you never want to have to keep finding constant replacements for the same position, but since the Bills already brought in two new safeties and also brought back Hamlin, I find it extremely difficult seeing Buffalo spend their first round pick on McNeil-Warren despite him being one of the best players in the draft.
Not to mention, Buffalo doesn’t have a second round pick and there is almost no way that McNeil-Warren falls all the way down to the end of the third round. McNeil-Warren would have been a solid pick to pair with Bishop for Buffalo’s future on the defense, but the Bills just simply don’t have a huge need at safety anymore.
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